Vehicle vision system with enhanced functionality

ABSTRACT

A vision system for a vehicle includes at least one camera disposed at a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle. Control circuitry includes an image processor for processing image data captured by the camera. The image processor processes image data captured by the camera for a pedestrian detection system of the vehicle. The control circuitry, responsive at least in part to image processing of captured image data by the image processor, is operable to cause adjustment of the pedestrian detection system of the vehicle from regular sensitivity to higher sensitivity. Adjustment from regular sensitivity to higher sensitivity is at least in part responsive to image processing of captured image data by the image processor determining that the vehicle is in the vicinity of children that a driver of the vehicle should watch out for.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/681,963, filed Nov. 20, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,264,673,which claims the filing benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No.61/561,875, filed Nov. 20, 2011, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vehicles with cameras mounted thereonand in particular to vehicles with front-facing cameras.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Use of imaging sensors in vehicle imaging systems is common and known.Examples of such known systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,949,331; 5,670,935 and/or 5,550,677, which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a vision system or imaging system that isoperable to capture image data representative of a scene exterior of thevehicle (such as forwardly and/or sidewardly relative to the vehicle'sdirection of forward travel) and, responsive to image processing of thecaptured image data by an image processor, the system is operable toprovide one or more functions and/or to control one or more accessoriesof the vehicle and/or to provide one or more alerts or communications,such as for the driver of the vehicle or such as for people orpedestrians exterior of the vehicle.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with a truck on the roadahead of the equipped vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with a car on the roadahead of the equipped vehicle;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with a sun visor in theequipped vehicle that is operable responsive to the vision system;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a school sign;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a landmark building;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a pedestrian;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the equipped vehiclefollowing another vehicle and operable to detect and read the licenseplate of the other vehicle;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching another vehicle at the side of the road, whereby the visionsystem may determine if the other vehicle is abandoned;

FIG. 9 is a rear elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicle at agarage door;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision systemin accordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a barcode at a wall or structure, whereby the system may beoperable to scan the barcode and control an accessory or the likeresponsive to the barcode;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision systemin accordance with the present invention, shown with the equippedvehicle behind another vehicle at a traffic light;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, shown with the equipped vehicleat a parking space between two other vehicles, whereby the system may beoperable to control the equipped vehicle to park the vehicle after thedriver has gotten out of the equipped vehicle;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision systemin accordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a pothole, whereby the system may control an accessory orfunction of the vehicle responsive to detection of a pothole ahead ofthe vehicle;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of a vehicle equipped with a vision systemin accordance with the present invention, shown with the vehicleapproaching a construction zone;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, where the system may be operableto detect erratic driving behavior of the driver of a vehicle on theroad ahead of the equipped vehicle;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle equipped with avision system in accordance with the present invention, shown with asunroof that may be controlled via circuitry common with the visionsystem;

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, which may be operable to detectthe presence of emergency vehicles on the road ahead or behind theequipped vehicle; and

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a vision system inaccordance with the present invention, which may be operable to detectthe presence of vehicles in adjacent lanes of traffic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a vehicle 10 has a camera system 11 which includes, among otherthings a front-facing camera 12 and a control system 14 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The front-facing camera 12may comprise any suitable type of front-facing camera or imaging sensoror the like. The control system 14 may comprise any suitable type ofcontrol system.

In one embodiment, the control system 14 includes programming to detectthe presence of a truck, such as shown at 16 in FIG. 1, in front of thevehicle 10. This may be accomplished in any number of suitable ways. Forexample, the control system 14 may be programmed to look for aparticular shape (such as, for example, a rectangular shape) within aselected region in the images received by the camera's imager, whichwould be indicative of a truck 16. The selected region of the image willdepend of course on the position of the camera 12 at the vehicle 10, butmay optionally also depend on such characteristics such as the distancefrom the vehicle 10 to the truck 16, which may be determined usinginformation from an optionally provided front sensor system, such as aradar system or lidar system or ultrasonic system or stereoscopicimaging system or the like.

Upon detection of a truck in front of the vehicle 10, the control system14 may be programmed to take some action. For example, the controlsystem 14 may be programmed to put the heating/ventilation/airconditioning (HVAC) system into a recirculation or ‘Recirc’ mode,wherein most or all of the air sent to the cabin (the cabin is shown at18) is not fresh air from outside the vehicle, but is recirculated fromthe cabin 18 itself. An advantage to this would be that potentiallynoxious exhaust from the truck 16 would not be drawn into the vehiclecabin 18. When the vehicle 10 is no longer behind the truck 16, thecontrol system 14 may return the HVAC system to whatever air flowsetting it had prior to determining there was a truck 16 in front of thevehicle 10. Optionally, the control system 14 may be programmed to onlyput the HVAC system into the air recirculation mode when it determinesthat the vehicle 10 is within a selected distance from the truck 16. Inaddition to or alternatively to putting the HVAC system in the airrecirculation mode, the control system 14 maybe programmed to,responsive to detection of a truck ahead of the vehicle and optionallywith the truck determined to be within a threshold distance to thevehicle, close the windows of the vehicle 10 if they are open.

Referring to FIG. 2, the present invention may comprise a control system14 that is programmed to also determine whether the subject or equippedvehicle 10 is behind another vehicle or car 20. If the control systemdetermines that the vehicle 10 is behind a car 20, it may also takeaction by putting the HVAC system into an air recirculation or ‘Recirc’mode if vehicle 10 is within a selected distance from the car 20 infront of it. The selected or threshold distance between the vehicle 10and the truck 16 (FIG. 1) may be larger than the selected distance tothe selected distance between the vehicle 10 and the car 20 (FIG. 2).

Reference is made to FIG. 3, which shows another embodiment of thepresent invention. The vehicle 10 in this embodiment has a sun visor 30that has an actuator 32 mounted thereat. The actuator 32 may compriseany suitable type of actuator, such as a stepper motor, a rotarysolenoid, a linear solenoid with a gear linkage to convert its motion torotary motion, a spring loaded linkage with a solenoid-actuatedretractable locking member to hold the spring loaded linkage in aspring-loaded state, or any other suitable type of actuator. The controlsystem 14 in this embodiment can be used to detect the position of thesun (shown at 34 in FIG. 3) in images captured by the camera 12. Thecontrol system 14, upon determining the position of the sun 34 in theimages, can determine whether the sun 34 is likely to be hindering thedriver's view of the road (such as by determining an intensity ofambient light at the vehicle and/or the angle of the sun relative to theground and relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle). If thecontrol system determines that the sunlight may be likely hindering thedriver's view, the control system 14 may be programmed to automaticallylower the sun visor 30 (such as to move the sun visor 30 from a stowageor flipped up position to a use or lowered position) responsive to sucha determination. Optionally, the sun visor 30 may be returned back toits stowage or raised position by the control system 14 upon determiningthat it is no longer needed (such as upon determining that the sun 34 isno longer hindering the driver's view and/or upon determining that theuse of or lowering of the sun visor 30 will not be of much or any help,such as if it is determined that the sun 34 is too low in the sky forthe sun visor, when lowered, to block the sunlight from the driver'seyes).

The control system 14 may determine the sun's position in the images byscanning the images for brightness levels beyond a certain value, forexample, and possibly for a certain color or range of colors that wouldbe indicative of sunlight from the sun 34. The position of the head ofthe driver (shown at 38) of the vehicle is going to be in a relativelyfixed area relative to the camera 12. Thus, there is a relatively fixedrange of positions of the sun 34 in the images captured by the camera 12that would indicate that the sun 34 (or direct illumination from thesun) is in the eyes of the driver and that the driver's view may behelped by deployment of the sun visor 30. Thus, the control system 14may be programmed to immediately deploy the sun visor 30 as soon as itdetects that the sun 34 is within that fixed range of positions in theimages. In this embodiment, the term sun visor 34 is intended to beinterpreted broadly and may include any type of technology forprotecting the driver's eyes from the sun 34 (and may includemechanically or electro-mechanically adjustable sun visors and/orelectrically controlled shade devices or shading or darkening devices,such as electro-optic windows or the like or such as windows with shadestherein or the like).

Reference is made to FIG. 4 which shows the camera 12 and control system14 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the control system 14 is programmed todetect certain traffic related signs, such as, for example, the schoolzone sign shown at 40. The control system 14 may possess severalpre-stored views of school zone signs in its memory. Such views mayinclude views of several different types of school zone sign, and mayinclude images of each type of school zone sign from several differentangles. The control system 14 may be programmed to scan images orportions of images for shapes that match the shape of a school zonesign. The portions of the image within the detected shape would thenoptionally be adjusted for such factors as size (indicative of distanceof the sign from the vehicle 10) and ambient light to match the size andambient light of the school zone sign images stored in memory. Thecontrol system 14 may then compare these adjusted portions of the imageto the school zone sign images stored in memory to determine if any ofthese adjusted portions of the image represent a school zone sign.

If the control system 14 determines that a school zone sign is presentin the camera's field of view, the control system 14 may take a suitableaction, which may be, for example, to mute the vehicle's stereo systemso as to permit the driver to be more attuned to the presence of anychildren nearby that might be at risk of collision from the vehicle 10.Another action taken by the control system 14 upon detection of a schoolzone sign is to shift a pedestrian detection system into ahigh-sensitivity mode. The pedestrian detection system may also utilizethe camera 12 and control system 14. For example, the pedestriandetection system may include suitable code stored by the control system14 to detect certain shapes in images captured by the camera 12 thatcorrespond to pedestrians of different sizes (from small children toadults) and shapes (underweight to overweight, to carrying backpacks,umbrellas or other paraphernalia) carrying out certain common activitiessuch as walking, bending, sitting, standing, lying down (for example, ifthey are injured), riding a bicycle, riding a tricycle, riding ascooter, or other shapes.

In a regular sensitivity mode, when the control system 14 compares thedetected elements in images captured by the camera 12 with stored imagesof pedestrians in its memory, the control system 14 may require acertain exactness of a match for it to conclude that a pedestrian ispresent in the camera image. The level of exactness that is requiredimpacts the numbers of false positives (situations where the controlsystem 14 determines that there is a pedestrian in the camera image butin reality there is no pedestrian in the image) and false negatives(situations where the control system does not find a pedestrian thatactually is in the camera image) that will be generated by the controlsystem 14. Upon switching a high-sensitivity mode, the pedestriandetection system may reduce the level of exactness that is required,thereby potentially increasing the number of false positives, but alsopotentially decreasing the number of false negatives. Optionally, thecontrol system 14 may be configured to also be capable of detectingsigns that indicate that a playground is nearby, or signs that indicatethat children may be playing. Additionally, or alternatively, thecontrol system 14 may be programmed to receive input from a navigationsystem on the vehicle 10 that would indicate when the vehicle 10 iscoming upon a school zone or a playground or the like. By using thecamera images to detect traffic signs and the like in combination withusing the navigation system, the control system 14 may be capable ofachieving a higher rate of detecting when the vehicle 10 is in thevicinity of children that the driver should watch out for.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5. When the vehicle 10 is being driven, itis possible that the vehicle 10 will be in an area where its access tosignals from GPS satellites will be poor. This is true for example, inthe downtown core of some cities, where the buildings (shown at 50) canhinder a vehicle's ability to receive GPS signals. As a way of enhancingthe performance of the navigation system (shown at 52), the controlsystem 14 can be programmed to recognize certain landmarks (an exampleof which may be stored at 54), which it may contain images of stored inits memory. For example, the control system 14 can be programmed todetect the presence of a particular hotel, museum, office building,statue or other landmark. Preferably, the control system 14 can access amemory containing images of many different landmarks in places wherethere is a higher likelihood of losing a GPS signal. Upon detection inthe camera images of one of the landmarks stored in memory, the controlsystem 14 may notify the navigation system 52 that the vehicle 10 hasjust arrived at that landmark, and the navigation system 52 may then usethat information to update itself as to the position of the vehicle 10in its stored map. The navigation system 52 may then use other data suchas the speed and heading of the vehicle 10 to estimate the currentposition of the vehicle 10 until the control system 14 detects anotherlandmark, as which point the navigation system 52 may update itselfagain as to the vehicle's actual position. This may also be applicablewhen the vehicle is underground, such as in underground parking garages.

Referring to FIG. 6, the vehicle 10 may be a vehicle that has a tractionbattery 60 on board that is sometimes used to drive the vehicle with noassist from an internal combustion engine. In such cases, the vehicle 10can sometimes be so quiet that it is not heard as it approachespedestrians (shown at 61). Blind pedestrians in particular are at adisadvantage because they do not receive visual cues that a vehicle isapproaching and they instead are heavily reliant on sound to detectoncoming traffic. In such instances, the vehicle 10 may have apedestrian detection system (as described above, for example) and thecontrol system 14 may be programmed to generate an audible noise upondetection of a pedestrian that is a potential collision risk. Theaudible noise may be generated by actuating the horn of the vehicle 10or by some other means, such as sounding a buzzer or the like.

Referring to FIG. 7, the control system 14 may be programmed to be ableto read license plates (shown at 70) from camera images that containimages of other vehicles (shown at 72). This information can be useful,for example, to assist in the detection of vehicles that are known bypolice to have been used in a crime or that were stolen. For example,the control system 14 may contain memory that contains a list of vehiclelicense plate numbers that were received from a police database. When inthe vicinity of other vehicles 72, the control system 14 mayautomatically detect and read their license plates 70 and may determinewhether any of license plates 70 corresponds to anything in the controlsystem's memory. Upon detection of a match, the control system 14 mayoptionally notify the driver so that the driver can notify the police. Alicense plate number that is made known to the vehicle driver (such as,for example, via an ‘Amber’ alert shown on an electronic trafficnotification sign that appears on a highway on which the driver isdriving) may be entered into the control system's memory manually by thedriver, so that the control system 14 can then compare detected licenseplates 70 to that one stored in its memory and can notify the driver ifit detects a match.

Referring to FIG. 8, the control system 14 may be programmed to detectif a vehicle (shown at 80) is on the side of the road and is abandonedvia detection of certain telltale indicators (such as, for example,detecting that no vehicle lights are on, detecting that no people arenear the vehicle). In such an instance, the control system 14 may readthe license plate number of the potentially abandoned vehicle 80 and maynotify the driver of the vehicle 10 so that the driver can decidewhether to notify the police.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to detect the presence of a garage door (shown at 90) in thecamera images. Upon detection of a garage door 90 in the images, thecontrol system 14 may be programmed to automatically send a garage dooropen signal via a garage door opening system transmitter 92 that may beincorporated into the vehicle 10. As a result, if the garage door 90 isthe one that belongs to the vehicle driver, it will open. In this way, atruly automatic garage door opening function is provided. Alternatively,it is possible for the control system 14 to specifically be capable ofdetecting the presence of the vehicle driver's garage door (shown at 94)in the camera images, in which case, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to send a signal in an attempt to open the door. Initially,images of the vehicle owner's garage door 94 may be captured by thevehicle camera 12 and stored in a memory that is accessed by the controlsystem 14. Then when the control system 14 detects a garage door inimages captured by the camera 12 it can compare them to the imagesstored in the memory to determine whether it is the owner's garage door94, and can then actuate the transmitter 92 to open the garage door 94.

In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to detect indicia, such as barcodes (for example,two-dimensional barcodes) that may be positioned in selected places forthe purpose of directing the actions of the control system 14. Forexample, a barcode 100 may be provided on a garage wall or on the garagefloor in which the vehicle 10 is to be parked that instructs the controlsystem 14 to carry out a certain action such as to close the garagedoor. When the vehicle 10 reaches a selected position where the barcode100 is read by the camera 12, the control system 14 then carries outthat action. In another example, when the vehicle 10 drives into apublic parking garage, the detection of a first barcode may cause thecontrol system 14 to start a clock that times how long the vehicle 10 isin the parking garage. Upon leaving the parking garage, detection of asecond barcode may trigger an automatic payment of a parking fee via awireless internet connection by the control system 14 using the driver'scredit card number.

Aside from detection of traffic signs and the like, the control system14 may be programmed to detect traffic lights (an example of which isshown at 110 in FIG. 11). For example, when detecting that the trafficlight 110 in front of the vehicle 10 is red, the control system 14 maybe programmed to maintain braking when the driver lifts his/her foot offthe brake pedal. In some instances the driver will want to go forwardeven if there is a red light (for example, to avoid an imminentcollision from another vehicle). To permit the driver this freedom, thecontrol system 14 can optionally be overridden by some indication suchas by sufficient amount of depression of the accelerator pedal. In asimilar scenario, the control system 14 may be programmed to detect thepresence of other vehicles (an example of which is shown at 112) infront of the vehicle 10 and may be programmed to maintain braking on thevehicle 10 if there is a vehicle 112 that is very close in front of thevehicle 10 even if the driver of vehicle 10 lifts his/her foot off thebrake pedal.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 12, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to scan camera images and detect a suitable target 120 (whichmay, for example, be a two-dimensional barcode) on the wall of a parkingspot shown at 122. The driver may then leave the vehicle 10 and thevehicle 10 may be programmed to drive itself into the parking spot 122.By having the driver leave the vehicle before it drives into the spot,the vehicle 10 can be parked closer to adjacent vehicles 124 than wouldotherwise be possible if the driver had to get out of the vehicle 10after it was parked in the spot, so that more parking spots can beprovided in a given area. Upon receiving a signal from a key fob forexample, the vehicle 10 can back itself out of the parking spot 122 topermit the driver to open the vehicle door to get into the vehicle 10.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 13, the control system 14 maydetect the presence of potholes 126 or the like in front of the vehicle10. Upon such detection the control system 14 may be programmed to anyone or more actions, such as, for example, automatically notify thedriver, initiate braking of the vehicle 10, or even initiate acorrective steering or throttle input. Optionally, the control system 14may change the suspension settings if the vehicle 10 has an adjustablesuspension (for example, magneto rheological shock absorbers or thelike).

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to detect the presence of a construction zone, shown at 130(for example, by detecting traffic signs 132 that indicate such a zonein the camera images). Upon such detection, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to take actions to inhibit the driver from breathing dust orthe like that can be present in the air in construction zones. Suchactions may include automatically closing the vehicle windows andswitching the HVAC system to a recirculation or “Recirc” mode.

Referring to FIG. 15, in another embodiment the control system 14 may beprogrammed to detect erratic driving in a nearby vehicle shown at 150.The control system 14 may, for example, detect whether the lateralacceleration of the vehicle ahead 150 exceeds a selected value. If itdoes, then the control system 14 may be programmed to carry out aselected action, such as to initiate braking, change suspensionsettings, or to carry out an evasive maneuver or the like. Such erraticdriving behavior in the vehicle ahead 150 may be interpreted to be anerratic driver in the vehicle ahead, or it may be interpreted to be anevasive maneuver being carried out by the driver of the vehicle ahead toavoid an obstacle in front of that vehicle. In either case it isbeneficial to carry out an action such as braking and/or changesuspension settings.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the presence of the front-facingcamera 12 in the vehicle 10 near the headliner shown at 160 may be usedto advantage to eliminate some other components that would otherwise beneeded. For example, the camera 12 may include a housing 162 with aprinted circuit board 164 and microprocessor 166 therein that may havesome capability to take on additional functionality other than controlof the camera 12. The printed circuit board 164 and the microprocessor166 may make up part of the control system 14. To take advantage ofthis, controls (such as, for example, buttons 168) for the control ofthe vehicle's sunroof or moonroof shown at 170 may be provided on thecamera housing 162 such that the camera's microprocessor 166 receivessignals from the buttons 168 when they are pressed and so the camera'smicroprocessor 166 can be connected to directly control the motor systemshown at 172 that drive the operation of the sunroof or moonroof 170.This eliminates the need for a separate housing, PCB and microprocessordedicated to control of the sunroof/moonroof, thereby saving asignificant amount of cost.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the control system 14 may becapable of detecting the presence of emergency vehicles shown at 178 inthe camera images. Upon such detection, the control system 14 may beprogrammed to carry out a suitable action, such as to mute the vehicle'sstereo system so that the driver can hear if there is a siren ormultiple sirens so that he or she can pull the vehicle 10 over to letany emergency vehicles pass. While this may be applicable to thefront-facing camera 12, this may be particularly applicable to therear-facing camera shown at 180 of the vehicle 10.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the control system 14 may beconfigured to detect the presence of vehicles 190 in adjacent lanes oftraffic. Upon such detection, the control system 14 may be programmed toadjust the sensitivity of certain vehicle systems, such as for example,a lane-departure warning system shown at 191 or a lane-keeping system(such as a system for keeping the vehicle 10 centered in its lane and/oralerting the driver of the vehicle if the system detects that thevehicle is leaving its lane or the like).

In yet another embodiment, the control system 14 may use the detectionof vehicles 190 in adjacent traffic lanes to adjust the programming ofthe forward collision warning or automated braking system (shown at192), for example to prevent the system 192 from carrying out evasivemaneuvers that would have brought the vehicle 10 into an adjacent laneof traffic.

In many instances above, the embodiments of the invention were describedin relation to a front facing camera for the vehicle 10. In manyembodiments however, the camera need not be a front-facing camera, andinstead or additionally the camera may be a side-facing camera that ismounted to a side mirror. Such a side-facing camera, if it faces atleast partially downwardly, may be particularly suited to readtwo-dimensional barcodes that may be provided on the floor of a parkinggarage, for example.

Each of the above concepts has been described separately and has beenshown in separate drawings, however it will be noted that it iscontemplated that a plurality of these concepts, or even all of theconcepts, described herein may be provided in one vehicle as part of acommon vision system or the like.

The vehicle may include any type of sensor or sensors, such as imagingsensors or radar sensors or lidar sensors or ultrasonic sensors or thelike. The imaging sensor or camera may capture image data for imageprocessing and may comprise any suitable camera or sensing device, suchas, for example, an array of a plurality of photosensor elementsarranged in at least 640 columns and 480 rows (at least a 640×480imaging array), with a respective lens focusing images onto respectiveportions of the array. The photosensor array may comprise a plurality ofphotosensor elements arranged in a photosensor array having rows andcolumns. The logic and control circuit of the imaging sensor mayfunction in any known manner, and the image processing and algorithmicprocessing may comprise any suitable means for processing the imagesand/or image data. For example, the vision system and/or processingand/or camera and/or circuitry may utilize aspects described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,005,974; 5,760,962; 5,877,897; 5,796,094; 5,949,331;6,222,447; 6,302,545; 6,396,397; 6,498,620; 6,523,964; 6,611,202;6,201,642; 6,690,268; 6,717,610; 6,757,109; 6,802,617; 6,806,452;6,822,563; 6,891,563; 6,946,978; 7,859,565; 5,550,677; 5,670,935;6,636,258; 7,145,519; 7,161,616; 7,230,640; 7,248,283; 7,295,229;7,301,466; 7,592,928; 7,881,496; 7,720,580; 7,038,577; 6,882,287;5,929,786 and/or 5,786,772, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US2010/047256, filed Aug. 31, 2010 and published Mar. 10, 2011 asInternational Publication No. WO 2011/028686 and/or InternationalPublication No. WO 2010/099416, published Sep. 2, 2010, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US10/25545, filed Feb. 26, 2010 and published Sep.2, 2010 as International Publication No. WO 2010/099416, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/048800, filed Jul. 30, 2012 and publishedFeb. 7, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/019707, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/048110, filed Jul. 25, 2012 and publishedJan. 31, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/016409, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/CA2012/000378, filed Apr. 25, 2012 and publishedNov. 1, 2012 as International Publication No. WO 2012/145822, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/056014, filed Sep. 19, 2012 and publishedMar. 28, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/043661, and/orPCT Application No. PCT/US12/57007, filed Sep. 25, 2012 and publishedApr. 4, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/048994, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/061548, filed Oct. 24, 2012 and published May2, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/063014, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/062906, filed Nov. 1, 2012 and published May10, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/067083, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/063520, filed Nov. 5, 2012 and published May16, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/070539, and/or PCTApplication No. PCT/US2012/064980, filed Nov. 14, 2012 and published May23, 2013 as International Publication No. WO 2013/074604, and/or U.S.patent applications, Ser. No. 13/660,306, filed Oct. 25, 2012, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,146,898; Ser. No. 13/653,577, filed Oct. 17, 2012, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,174,574; and/or Ser. No. 13/534,657, filed Jun. 27, 2012 andpublished Jan. 3, 2013 as U.S. Publication No. US-2013-0002873, and/orU.S. provisional applications, Ser. No. 61/710,924, filed Oct. 8, 2012;Ser. No. 61/696,416, filed Sep. 4, 2012; Ser. No. 61/682,995, filed Aug.14, 2012; Ser. No. 61/682,486, filed Aug. 13, 2012; Ser. No. 61/680,883,filed Aug. 8, 2012; Ser. No. 61/678,375, filed Aug. 1, 2012; Ser. No.61/676,405, filed Jul. 27, 2012; Ser. No. 61/666,146, filed Jun. 29,2012; Ser. No. 61/653,665, filed May 31, 2012; Ser. No. 61/653,664,filed May 31, 2012; Ser. No. 61/648,744, filed May 18, 2012; Ser. No.61/624,507, filed Apr. 16, 2012; Ser. No. 61/616,126, filed Mar. 27,2012; Ser. No. 61/615,410, filed Mar. 26, 2012; Ser. No. 61/613,651,filed Mar. 21, 2012; Ser. No. 61/607,229, filed Mar. 6, 2012; Ser. No.61/602,878, filed Feb. 24, 2012; Ser. No. 61/602,876, filed Feb. 24,2012; Ser. No. 61/600,205, filed Feb. 17, 2012; Ser. No. 61/588,833,filed Jan. 20, 2012; Ser. No. 61/583,381, filed Jan. 5, 2012; Ser. No.61/570,017, filed Dec. 13, 2011; Ser. No. 61/568,791, filed Dec. 9,2011; Ser. No. 61/567,446, filed Dec. 6, 2011; Ser. No. 61/567,150,filed Dec. 6, 2011; Ser. No. 61/650,667, filed May 23, 2012; Ser. No.61/605,409, filed Mar. 1, 2012; Ser. No. 61/579,682, filed Dec. 23,2011; Ser. No. 61/565,713, filed Dec. 1, 2011; and/or Ser. No.61/563,965, filed Nov. 28, 2011, which are all hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties. The system may communicate withother communication systems via any suitable means, such as by utilizingaspects of the systems described in PCT Application No. PCT/US10/038477,filed Jun. 14, 2010, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/202,005,filed Aug. 17, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,126,525, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The imaging device and control and image processor and any associatedillumination source, if applicable, may comprise any suitablecomponents, and may utilize aspects of the cameras and vision systemsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,877,897; 6,498,620; 5,670,935;5,796,094; 6,396,397; 6,806,452; 6,690,268; 7,005,974; 7,123,168;7,004,606; 6,946,978; 7,038,577; 6,353,392; 6,320,176; 6,313,454 and6,824,281, and/or International Publication No. WO 2010/099416,published Sep. 2, 2010, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US10/47256, filedAug. 31, 2010 and published Mar. 10, 2011 as International PublicationNo. WO 2011/028686, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/508,840,filed Jul. 24, 2009, and published Jan. 28, 2010 as U.S. Pat.Publication No. US 2010-0020170, and/or PCT Application No.PCT/US2012/048110, filed Jul. 25, 2012 and published Jan. 31, 2013 asInternational Publication No. WO 2013/016409, and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/534,657, filed Jun. 27, 2012 and published Jan.3, 2013 as U.S. Publication No. US-2013-0002873, which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The camera orcameras may comprise any suitable cameras or imaging sensors or cameramodules, and may utilize aspects of the cameras or sensors described inU.S. patent applications, Ser. No. 12/091,359, filed Apr. 24, 2008 andpublished Oct. 1, 2009 as U.S. Publication No. US-2009-0244361, and/orSer. No. 13/260,400, filed Sep. 26, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,542,451,and/or U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,965,336 and/or 7,480,149, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The imaging arraysensor may comprise any suitable sensor, and may utilize various imagingsensors or imaging array sensors or cameras or the like, such as a CMOSimaging array sensor, a CCD sensor or other sensors or the like, such asthe types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,670,935; 5,760,962;5,715,093; 5,877,897; 6,922,292; 6,757,109; 6,717,610; 6,590,719;6,201,642; 6,498,620; 5,796,094; 6,097,023; 6,320,176; 6,559,435;6,831,261; 6,806,452; 6,396,397; 6,822,563; 6,946,978; 7,339,149;7,038,577; 7,004,606 and/or 7,720,580, and/or U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/534,632, filed May 11, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,965,336,and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2008/076022, filed Sep. 11, 2008 andpublished Mar. 19, 2009 as International Publication No. WO/2009/036176,and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2008/078700, filed Oct. 3, 2008 andpublished Apr. 9, 2009 as International Publication No. WO/2009/046268,which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

The camera module and circuit chip or board and imaging sensor may beimplemented and operated in connection with various vehicularvision-based systems, and/or may be operable utilizing the principles ofsuch other vehicular systems, such as a vehicle headlamp control system,such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,796,094; 6,097,023;6,320,176; 6,559,435; 6,831,261; 7,004,606; 7,339,149 and/or 7,526,103,which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties, a rain sensor, such as the types disclosed in commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,353,392; 6,313,454; 6,320,176 and/or7,480,149, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties, a vehicle vision system, such as a forwardly, sidewardly orrearwardly directed vehicle vision system utilizing principles disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,670,935; 5,760,962; 5,877,897; 5,949,331;6,222,447; 6,302,545; 6,396,397; 6,498,620; 6,523,964; 6,611,202;6,201,642; 6,690,268; 6,717,610; 6,757,109; 6,802,617; 6,806,452;6,822,563; 6,891,563; 6,946,978 and/or 7,859,565, which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, a trailer hitchingaid or tow check system, such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,005,974, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety, a reverse or sideward imaging system, such as for a lanechange assistance system or lane departure warning system or for a blindspot or object detection system, such as imaging or detection systems ofthe types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,720,580; 7,038,577; 5,929,786and/or 5,786,772, and/or U.S. pat. applications, Ser. No. 11/239,980,filed Sep. 30, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,881,496, and/or U.S.provisional applications, Ser. No. 60/628,709, filed Nov. 17, 2004; Ser.No. 60/614,644, filed Sep. 30, 2004; Ser. No. 60/618,686, filed Oct. 14,2004; Ser. No. 60/638,687, filed Dec. 23, 2004, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties, a video device forinternal cabin surveillance and/or video telephone function, such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962; 5,877,897; 6,690,268 and/or7,370,983, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/538,724, filedJun. 13, 2005 and published Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Publication No.US-2006-0050018, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties, a traffic sign recognition system, a system fordetermining a distance to a leading or trailing vehicle or object, suchas a system utilizing the principles disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,396,397 and/or 7,123,168, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties, and/or the like.

Optionally, the circuit board or chip may include circuitry for theimaging array sensor and or other electronic accessories or features,such as by utilizing compass-on-a-chip or EC driver-on-a-chip technologyand aspects such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,451 and/or U.S.Pat. No. 7,480,149, and/or U.S. patent applications, Ser. No.11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S.Publication No. US-2006-0061008, and/or Ser. No. 12/578,732, filed Oct.14, 2009 and published Apr. 22, 2010 as U.S. Publication No.US-2010-0097469, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

Optionally, the vision system may include a display for displayingimages captured by one or more of the imaging sensors for viewing by thedriver of the vehicle while the driver is normally operating thevehicle. Optionally, for example, the vision system may include a videodisplay device disposed at or in the interior rearview mirror assemblyof the vehicle, such as by utilizing aspects of the video mirror displaysystems described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,268 and/or U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/333,337, filed Dec. 21, 2011 and published Jun.28, 2012 as U.S. Publication No. US-2012-0162427, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The video mirrordisplay may comprise any suitable devices and systems and optionally mayutilize aspects of the compass display systems described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,370,983; 7,329,013; 7,308,341; 7,289,037; 7,249,860; 7,004,593;4,546,551; 5,699,044; 4,953,305; 5,576,687; 5,632,092; 5,677,851;5,708,410; 5,737,226; 5,802,727; 5,878,370; 6,087,953; 6,173,508;6,222,460; 6,513,252 and/or 6,642,851, and/or European patentapplication, published Oct. 11, 2000 under Publication No. EP 0 1043566,and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/226,628, filed Sep. 14, 2005and published Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Publication No. US-2006-0061008,which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Optionally, the video mirror display screen or device may beoperable to display images captured by a rearward viewing camera of thevehicle during a reversing maneuver of the vehicle (such as responsiveto the vehicle gear actuator being placed in a reverse gear position orthe like) to assist the driver in backing up the vehicle, and optionallymay be operable to display the compass heading or directional headingcharacter or icon when the vehicle is not undertaking a reversingmaneuver, such as when the vehicle is being driven in a forwarddirection along a road (such as by utilizing aspects of the displaysystem described in PCT Application No. PCT/US2011/056295, filed Oct.14, 2011 and published Apr. 19, 2012 as International Publication No. WO2012/051500, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety).

Optionally, the vision system (utilizing the forward facing camera and arearward facing camera and other cameras disposed at the vehicle withexterior fields of view) may be part of or may provide a display of atop-down view or birds-eye view system of the vehicle or a surround viewat the vehicle, such as by utilizing aspects of the vision systemsdescribed in PCT Application No. PCT/US10/25545, filed Feb. 26, 2010 andpublished on Sep. 2, 2010 as International Publication No. WO2010/099416, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US10/47256, filed Aug. 31,2010 and published Mar. 10, 2011 as International Publication No. WO2011/028686, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2011/062834, filed Dec. 1,2011 and published Jun. 7, 2012 as International Publication No.WO2012/075250, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US2012/048993, filed Jul.31, 2012 and published Feb. 7, 2013 as International Publication No. WO2013/019795, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/US11/62755, filed Dec. 1,2011 and published Jun. 7, 2012 as International Publication No. WO2012/075250, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/CA2012/000378, filed Apr.25, 2012 and published Nov. 1, 2012 as International Publication No. WO2012/145822, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/333,337, filedDec. 21, 2011 and published Jun. 28, 2012 as U.S. Publication No.US-2012-0162427, and/or U.S. provisional applications, Ser. No.61/615,410, filed Mar. 26, 2012; Ser. No. 61/588,833, filed Jan. 20,2012; Ser. No. 61/570,017, filed Dec. 13, 2011; and/or Ser. No.61/568,791, filed Dec. 9, 2011, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Optionally, a video mirror display may be disposed rearward of andbehind the reflective element assembly and may comprise a display suchas the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,530,240; 6,329,925;7,855,755; 7,626,749; 7,581,859; 7,446,650; 7,370,983; 7,338,177;7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,195,381; 7,184,190; 5,668,663; 5,724,187 and/or6,690,268, and/or in U.S. patent applications, Ser. No. 12/091,525,filed Apr. 25, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,855,755; Ser. No. 11/226,628,filed Sep. 14, 2005 and published Mar. 23, 2006 as U.S. Publication No.US-2006-0061008, and/or Ser. No. 10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 andpublished Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Publication No. US-2006-0050018, whichare all hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Thedisplay is viewable through the reflective element when the display isactivated to display information. The display element may be any type ofdisplay element, such as a vacuum fluorescent (VF) display element, alight emitting diode (LED) display element, such as an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) or an inorganic light emitting diode, anelectroluminescent (EL) display element, a liquid crystal display (LCD)element, a video screen display element or backlit thin film transistor(TFT) display element or the like, and may be operable to displayvarious information (as discrete characters, icons or the like, or in amulti-pixel manner) to the driver of the vehicle, such as passenger sideinflatable restraint (PSIR) information, tire pressure status, and/orthe like. The mirror assembly and/or display may utilize aspectsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,184,190; 7,255,451; 7,446,924 and/or7,338,177, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. The thicknesses and materials of the coatings on thesubstrates of the reflective element may be selected to provide adesired color or tint to the mirror reflective element, such as a bluecolored reflector, such as is known in the art and such as described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,910,854; 6,420,036 and/or 7,274,501, which are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Optionally, the display or displays and any associated user inputs maybe associated with various accessories or systems, such as, for example,a tire pressure monitoring system or a passenger air bag status or agarage door opening system or a telematics system or any other accessoryor system of the mirror assembly or of the vehicle or of an accessorymodule or console of the vehicle, such as an accessory module or consoleof the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,289,037; 6,877,888;6,824,281; 6,690,268; 6,672,744; 6,386,742 and 6,124,886, and/or U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/538,724, filed Jun. 13, 2005 andpublished Mar. 9, 2006 as U.S. Publication No. US-2006-0050018, whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

While the above description constitutes a plurality of embodiments ofthe present invention, it will be appreciated that the present inventionis susceptible to further modification and change without departing fromthe fair meaning of the accompanying claims.

1. A vision system for a vehicle, said vision system comprising: atleast one camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with said vision system,wherein said at least one camera has a field of view exterior of theequipped vehicle; control circuitry comprising an image processor forprocessing image data captured by said at least one camera; wherein saidimage processor processes image data captured by said at least onecamera for a pedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle;wherein said control circuitry, responsive at least in part to imageprocessing of captured image data by said image processor, is operableto cause adjustment of the pedestrian detection system of the equippedvehicle from regular sensitivity to higher sensitivity; and whereinadjustment from regular sensitivity to higher sensitivity is at least inpart responsive to image processing of captured image data by said imageprocessor determining that the equipped vehicle is in the vicinity ofchildren that a driver of the equipped vehicle should watch out for. 2.The vision system of claim 1, wherein adjustment from regularsensitivity to higher sensitivity is at least in part responsive toimage processing of captured image data by said image processordetecting a school zone sign.
 3. The vision system of claim 2, whereinsaid control circuitry comprises memory and wherein views of school zonesigns are stored in said memory.
 4. The vision system of claim 2,wherein, at least in part responsive to image processing of capturedimage data by said image processor detecting a school zone sign, anaudio system of the equipped vehicle is muted so as to permit the driverof the equipped vehicle to be more attuned to the presence of anychildren nearby.
 5. The vision system of claim 1, wherein, at least inpart responsive to image processing of captured image data by said imageprocessor, at least one of (i) a child with a backpack is detected, (ii)a person riding a bicycle is detected and (iii) a person riding ascooter is detected.
 6. The vision system of claim 1, wherein a globalpositioning system of the equipped vehicle determines that the equippedvehicle is in the vicinity of a school.
 7. The vision system of claim 1,wherein a global positioning system of the equipped vehicle determinesthat the equipped vehicle is in the vicinity of a playground.
 8. Thevision system of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry, at least inpart responsive to image processing of captured image data by said imageprocessor, causes the equipped vehicle to generate an audible signalupon detection of a pedestrian that is a potential collision risk. 9.The vision system of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry, responsiveat least in part to image processing of captured image data by saidimage processor detecting a type of vehicle exterior of the equippedvehicle, is operable to control an HVAC system of the equipped vehicleresponsive to the type of vehicle detected exterior of the equippedvehicle.
 10. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said controlcircuitry, responsive at least in part to image processing of capturedimage data by said image processor detecting a school zone sign, isoperable to cause adjustment of an audio system of the equipped vehicle.11. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry,responsive at least in part to image processing of captured image databy said image processor and responsive to detection of a pedestrian thatis a potential collision risk, is operable to cause generation of anaudible signal that is audible exterior of the equipped vehicle.
 12. Thevision system of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry, responsive atleast in part to image processing of captured image data by said imageprocessor detecting a construction zone, is operable to control an HVACsystem of the equipped vehicle.
 13. The vision system of claim 1,wherein said control circuitry, responsive at least in part to imageprocessing of captured image data by said image processor determiningthe presence of a pothole in the path of travel of the equipped vehicle,is operable to cause adjustment of a suspension system of the equippedvehicle.
 14. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said controlcircuitry, responsive at least in part to said image processing ofcaptured image data determining the presence of an emergency vehicle, isoperable to cause adjustment of an audio system of the equipped vehicle.15. The vision system of claim 1, wherein said at least one cameracomprises a forward-viewing camera having a forward field of view aheadof the equipped vehicle.
 16. A vision system for a vehicle, said visionsystem comprising: a forward-viewing camera disposed at a vehicleequipped with said vision system, wherein said forward-viewing camerahas a field of view exterior and ahead of the equipped vehicle; controlcircuitry comprising an image processor for processing image datacaptured by said forward-viewing camera; wherein said image processorprocesses image data captured by said forward-viewing camera for apedestrian detection system of the equipped vehicle; wherein, at leastin part responsive to image processing of captured image data by saidimage processor, a school zone sign is detected; and wherein, at leastin part responsive to image processing of captured image data by saidimage processor, at least one of (i) a child with a backpack isdetected, (ii) a person riding a bicycle is detected and (iii) a personriding a scooter is detected.
 17. The vision system of claim 16, whereinsaid control circuitry, at least in part responsive to image processingof captured image data by said image processor, controls the equippedvehicle to generate an audible signal upon detection of a pedestrianthat is a potential collision risk.
 18. A vision system for a vehicle,said vision system comprising: at least one camera disposed at a vehicleequipped with said vision system, wherein said at least one camera has afield of view exterior of the equipped vehicle; control circuitrycomprising an image processor for processing image data captured by saidat least one camera; wherein said image processor processes image datacaptured by said at least one camera for a pedestrian detection systemof the equipped vehicle; wherein, at least in part responsive to imageprocessing of captured image data by said image processor, a school zonesign is detected; and at least one of (i) an audio system of theequipped vehicle is muted at least in part responsive to imageprocessing of captured image data by said image processor detecting theschool zone sign so as to permit the driver of the equipped vehicle tobe more attuned to the presence of any children nearby and (ii) saidcontrol circuitry, at least in part responsive to image processing ofcaptured image data by said image processor, controls the equippedvehicle to generate an audible signal upon detection of a pedestrianthat is a potential collision risk.
 19. The vision system of claim 18,wherein, at least in part responsive to image processing of capturedimage data by said image processor, a child with a backpack is detected.20. The vision system of claim 18, wherein, at least in part responsiveto image processing of captured image data by said image processor, aperson riding a scooter is detected.